Dallas is recognized as the Lone Star State’s third-largest city, with portions of the city’s boundaries extending beyond Dallas County into the nearby counties of Collin, Kaufman, and Denton.
Dallas, with more than 1.3 million people in 2020, is the country’s ninth most populous city.
Dallas and its sister city, Fort Worth, were developed due to their convenient location of significant railroad lines delivering cattle, cotton, and oil to points north, west, and east.
Although there are exceptions, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, anyone who performs electrical work in Texas must be licensed.
While there is no defined grace period regarding the need for an electrician’s license, apprentice applicants who have registered online and have a history of no criminal convictions will be issued an automatic temporary license as an electrician.
According to the BLS, in May 2021, with 52,580 electricians, Texas had the second-highest employment level for electricians.
More than 15,000 electricians were employed in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington metro area.
The mean annual wage for electricians in the state of Texas is $53,080, which falls about 10% below the median salary ($60,040/year) of the more than 700,000 professional electricians in the country.
1 AVO Training Institute
AVO Training Institute, which was founded nearly six decades ago, offers several basic electrical technology programs from its Dallas campus, which is also the school’s main campus.
These programs include electrical safety, electrical maintenance, safety standards/national electrical code, and electrical fundamentals.
Certain coursework is available, in part, through distance education options.
Address: 4545 W Davis St, Dallas, TX 75211
2 ForgeNow
ForgeNow offers an eight-week, immersive electrician program that covers residential electrical wiring.
The programs are hands-on in state-of-the-art labs and approved by the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Texas Workforce Commission.
In addition, certifications are also available for those who hold electrical wiring credentials. Graduates are provided with $1,000 worth of new tools on which to learn and keep.
Address: 8900 John W. Carpenter Fwy, Dallas, TX 75247
3 Dallas College – North Lake and Richland Campuses
Dallas College offers a full credit program that prepares graduates for a career as an electrical apprentice, which prepares each student for licensing examinations.
Dallas College offers two associate degree programs for those who wish to begin a career as an electrician – an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Construction or an Associate of Applied Science degree in Commercial Electrical Technology.
Each of these programs requires four semesters to complete and is nationally approved as apprenticeship programs that are offered in conjunction with the North Texas Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.
Address: 5001 N MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75038, USA
4 The Dallas Independent School District’s Career Institute
The Dallas Independent School District’s Career Institute, which is situated in three locations, offers a program of study that introduces the electricity basics and then moves on to circuits, transistors, and microprocessor systems, to name a few.
Coursework is offered in state-of-the-art simulation labs that allow students to put their skills to practice.
The program requires applicants to be 18 and hold a high school diploma/GED. An apprenticeship is necessary prior to full licensing.
Address: 9400 N Central Expressway, Dallas, TX 75244
5 The Tarrant County College District
The Tarrant County College District, of which Fort Worth is the county seat offers several electrical technology programs.
The two-term electrician helper’s program requires 18 certificate hours and includes coursework like basic electrical theory, introduction to electrical safety & tools, electrical controls, and electrical calculations, to name a few.
The college district offers more than ten academic specialties within its electronics technology program offering.
Address: 300 Trinity Campus Cir, Fort Worth, TX 76102
6 UEI College
UEI College offers an electrician technician program that runs 40 weeks and provides the necessary training to be eligible for an entry-level position in the industry.
The class offers valuable hands-on experience in high-tech simulation labs.
Graduates receive an Electrician Training Card, allowing them to work according to apprenticeship standards when appropriately supervised.
Address: 1040 North Westmoreland Road, Dallas, TX 75211
Schools Summary Table
Read the full guide: How to Become an Electrician